Attention mystery lovers! We are seeking 10 actors for an originally-scripted Halloween-season murder mystery, which will be run as an interactive event via Zoom as a fundraiser for Shelburne Museum (https://shelburnemuseum.org/); video portions of the event will also be edited for a film, with IMDb credit.
"The Scarab's Curse" is set aboard the museum's luxurious "Grande Isle" vintage train car. Audience members will experience the event in teams (Zoom breakout rooms) of up to twelve people, watching short video sequences of discovering physical clues in various parts of the train, as well as video flashbacks of the suspects' alibis, and then enjoying live interactions with the suspects to grill them about their motives and opportunities to commit the crime (requiring improv on the part of our actors!).
AUDITION INFORMATION:
All auditions will require short cold readings from the script: no monologues or preparation required.
Auditions will be conducted in person and via Zoom; please choose one or the other option.
IN PERSON:
DATE: Tuesday, June 22, 2021
TIME: 6:00-10:00 P.M. EST
LOCATION: Community Room, Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT
To schedule an appointment, please submit headshot and resume to scarabscurse@gmail.com. (Walk-ins also welcome!)
VIRTUAL:
DATE: Sunday, June 27, 2021
TIME: 3:00-5:00 P.M. EST
LINK: Please email scarabscurse@gmail.com with headshot and resume for link and appointment time.
There will be no call-backs.
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE:
PHOTO/FILM SHOOT:
Tuesday, August 10: Daytime Rehearsal on the set (the Museum is closed but we will have access to the train for the day), (can be flexibly scheduled as needed)
Monday and Tuesday, August 16-17: Daytime Film shoot on the set (probably all day on Monday; most actors would likely only be needed for the day on Monday)
COVID vaccinations will be required of all participants in the film shoot.
ZOOM EVENT:
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 22-24 and October 29-31, 2021
Friday and Saturday evenings, 6:30 call, 7:00-9:15 performances;
Sunday matinee, 12:30 call, 1:00-3:15 performances
Because these are virtual events, performances can be done from home if the actor's computer allows for virtual backgrounds.
Rehearsals beyond the above time commitments will be minimal, since all "scenes" are short and the improv notes for the live sequences are relatively easy to digest.
ROLES:
"The Scarab's Curse" is set in October 1912: terror stalks a traveling Egyptomania sideshow when the impresario, "The Great Zelboni," is murdered with a golden dagger in the Observation Room of his private train car -- apparently by a 3,000-year-old mummy! Available roles (Zelboni's entourage) include:
2 WOMEN:
"CHRISTINE," Zelboni's young French fiancée (age 20-40, French accent required);
"SALOME," an exotic-looking but wise-crackingly modern American dancing girl (in a flashy but modest costume) (age 20-40, 1920s New York broad accent desired);
3 MEN:
"NATHAN," a young, serious-minded American Egyptology student disgusted by the showiness of the touring exhibition (age 20-40);
"WALTER," a foppish middle-aged English eccentric who hopes to share the occult significance of Zelboni's relics in a European tour (age 35-65, English accent required);
"PAUL," a sturdily-built young American or Irish stowaway, discovered in a locked trunk at the scene of the crime (age 20-40).
The five "Suspects" above are needed for the film shoot and all six virtual event dates.
5 ADDITIONAL ACTORS: "STEWARDS"
5 actors will also serve as "stewards" (dressed in conductor's uniform; male or female, any age) and work with teams of up to 12 audience members, to facilitate their live grilling of the suspects and screen-share their virtual "discoveries" (screen-sharing video clips and a PowerPoint of close-ups of clues). Some facility with Zoom (screen-sharing, virtual background changes) is required, but we can get folks the necessary "training" (har har) for that. The stewards are not needed for the film shoot, but are needed for all six virtual event dates.
COMPENSATION: Because all proceeds will be donated to the Museum (for the refurbishment of the train), we are regretfully unable to pay our actors, but the experience should be fun and unusual, and will generate an IMDb credit when we edit the video clips into a film.
Please don't hesitate to ask for clarification or details if you'd like more information!
Alex Nalbach, writer/producer:
Email: sellobuyhi@yahoo.com
Cell: 810/625-3310
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